


Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, American Modernists and Neal

by ladygray99



Category: White Collar
Genre: Arts, Community: whitecollar100, Drabble Sequence, Gen, Painting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-01
Updated: 2011-11-01
Packaged: 2017-10-25 14:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/271503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladygray99/pseuds/ladygray99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal’s history through his artists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, American Modernists and Neal

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, for the record I have never officially studied art but I have spent a lot of time going through nearly every major art museum in New York, Chicago and the Bay Area and I've been up close to most all of the paintings discussed here. And my apology to any fans of Piet Mondrian’s later works.

Dancing with Smoke (#58 Clouds)

Neal always stated that forging a painting was an art in its own right. And like all art there were levels of skill and difficulty.

A child with a yard stick could forge some of [Piet Mondrian’s](http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=26773&searchid=11239) later work. Even some of the old masters were nearly paint by number. But the highest bar and where Neal made his name was with the impressionists.

Others tried but with dabs and twists of swirling paint it was like trying to forge clouds of rising smoke. For Neal it was like dancing with the smoke and catching the soul of the artist.

 

At The End of Day (Autumn)

Neal didn’t ask what it was for, he just knew he needed the money and the supplies. He wasn’t even sure if he could do it but in a moment of desperation he had told a lie.

‘A Monet? No problem.’

He prayed for something early like _[Camille](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_-_Camille.JPG)_ , something he knew he could handle but was confused when the request came down.

 _[Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn)](http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/14624?search_id=77). _

Not famous, not really valuable and one of dozens but when the client came back two weeks later with a request for _[Water Lilies](http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4058&page_number=5&template_id=1&sort_order=1)_ he knew it had been a test.

 

Sky Above, Road Below (Bright)

It was word of Neal’s _Water Lilies_ that got him his next big commission.

 _[Road - Mesa with Mist](http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/158750?search_id=7)_ , was an O’Keeffe. Not technically an impressionistic work but the bright white road cutting through a grey mist that looked more like watercolour than oil was still a challenge.

Again, Neal didn’t ask what it was for. It was hardly famous or valuable and the client had originally wanted _[Sky Above Clouds IV](http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/100858?search_id=7)_ seemingly unaware that it was 24 feet long but Neal had already learned that people wanted weird things for weird reasons and yet again he needed the money.

 

Dancers Dark and Screaming (Dark)

Neal hated and loved Edgar Degas. For almost a year, when they were trendy, Neal got requests for nothing but Degas and his ballet girls. Something about them gave Neal nightmares that he never confessed to anyone.

In his dreams the girls would swirl around him, the edges of their gauzy dresses whipping into his eyes turning the room ever darker and stranger until Neal would awake screaming, terrified he would go blind.

His last Degas for money was _[Dancers, Pink and Green](http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/all/dancers_pink_and_green_edgar_degas/objectview.aspx?page=4&sort=6&sortdir=desc&keyword=Edgar%20Degas&fp=1&dd1=0&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=0&OID=110000579&vT=1&hi=0&ov=0)_. Dark and muted in his dreams the dancing girls now women clawed at him and screamed thief.

 

The Sacred Orchard (Spring)

There were few things that were sacred to Neal. The works of Vincent van Gogh were one of them.

He knew van Gogh was half mad, especially towards the end and for Neal that madness lived on in every wild swirl of paint, and in riotous colors that changed with every stroke of the brush. He would never touch that madness for profit despite many requests.

It scared him more than Degas.

But when Elizabeth asked one bright spring day for something to bring life to her new office he put paint to canvas and gave her _[The Flowering Orchard](http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/all/the_flowering_orchard_vincent_van_gogh/objectview.aspx?page=3&sort=2&sortdir=desc&keyword=vincent%20van%20gogh&fp=1&dd1=0&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=0&OID=110000969&vT=1&hi=0&ov=0)_.


End file.
